


Cloudland

by evexe-n (manatsuko)



Series: DM Domestic Dictionary Drabbles [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 10:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9718121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manatsuko/pseuds/evexe-n
Summary: What to do when both you and your partner are unable to sleep & unwilling to face the reasons why?'Take out your frustrations on a video game' sounds about right.(Surprisingly little video games are actually played.)---Alternatively: both of them are a little bit messed up but they make do as they go along anyway





	

**Author's Note:**

> Listen if you try to tell me that Atem is The King of All Games Ever I will fight you, every gamer has games they have some trouble with, nobody's perfect and all that jazz. That isn't to say that there's any game he's truly bad (or even below average) at, just ones he doesn't do as stellar in on the first go. Cue actual practice until he decimates (nearly) everyone else anyway. This has been a headcanon PSA.

  
    "Wow, you really suck at this game, don't you?"

    Atem straightened from his lazy position on the couch, quickly facing the intruder. "Seto, hi!" He hesitated a moment. "How long have you been standing there?"

    A smirk took over Kaiba's face. "Oh, long enough."

    Despite the embarrassment of being caught, Atem couldn't help but snap back, "Very original, haven't heard that one before."

    At this, the other abandoned his perch near the living room's entrance and approached the sitting area. Atem grimaced as his eyes flicked over several candy wrappers and empty soda bottles he'd tossed carelessly onto the coffee table. Or the general vicinity thereof.  

    "Shut up and move over", Kaiba said, seemingly ignoring both Atem's comment and the mess around them, "If I'm not going to be able to sleep because of this game I might as well show you how it's done."

    He frowned in confusion. "I have the headset plugged in, it's not even making any noise!"

    Well, they were plugged in until Kaiba pulled them out, at least.

    "The game might not be, but you've been cursing on and off for the past hour or so. I decided an intervention was needed before your vocabulary got even more creative." Kaiba took the controller from his hands and selected the options menu, adjusting settings to his liking.

    "Ah, sorry about that." Atem rubbed a hand over his neck, hoping the redness in his face would calm down soon. "Really though, you should head back to bed, I don't want to keep you up. Didn't you say you had a meeting first thing in the morning?"

    Kaiba hummed in confirmation. "Yes, but it's only the monthly progress report of our latest marketing plan, I can postpone it a day or two." Content with his changes to Atem's previously chosen settings and his character's inventory, the brunet restarted the game.

    Atem sighed. "You don't need to keep me company every time I can't sleep, Seto."

    His boyfriend huffed at that. "What if I just couldn't sleep anymore either? My sleeping habits are not any better than yours, as you're so fond of reminding me of."

    Atem marveled at the other's ability to hold a conversation while still mowing down on-screen enemies left and right. FPS games had never been Atem's strongest point, to the amusement of his friends. Last time he went to the arcade with everyone, both Yugi and Jounouchi had beaten him multiple times. At this point, he was convinced they were conspiring against him by always challenging him to the same game.

    He leaned his head agains Kaiba's shoulder, trying to focus on the game's action. "That's different, you just keep crazy work hours. It's not the same as-" "Your nightmares?" Kaiba finished while delivering a few especially gruesome killing blows to the game's monstrosities.

    Atem nodded.

    "It's not as if I never have nightmares, Atem." He still didn't avert his gaze from the screen, but Atem could tell Kaiba's main focus had shifted to their conversation nonetheless.

    Lost in thought, he replied, "They're not as recurring as mine though." His fingers idly fiddled with some loose threads sticking out from his sweatshirt.

    When Atem looked up again, Kaiba's mouth was set in a tight line.

    "While that may be true, are you seriously trying to turn this into a 'whose life is the most miserable'  competition?"

    Admittedly, he should have considered his reply a bit more before opening his mouth. Although they had both grown from their respective trials in life, some reminders or allusions to past events were better avoided. He couldn't take back what was already said though. 

   He let out a rather hoarse chuckle, that sounded fake to even his own ears.

    "No, that's not what I meant. I just-" He gripped Kaiba's elbow, silently pleading for him to stay and listen. To not storm off in anger. It wouldn't be the first time it happened, but Atem hoped to avoid that scenario tonight.

    "I-"

    He cut himself off, not able to find the right words and not wanting to make matters worse.

    Kaiba breathed out harshly, nose crinkling in disdain. He pressed the controller's buttons in quick succession and took out two more monsters. Atem relaxed his hold a fraction but maintained the same position otherwise.

    When he reached a safe zone, Kaiba spoke up again.

    "Are you sure? Because that's what it was starting to sound like." His voice remained cold as ever, though his jaw was no longer tensed. It wasn't anywhere close to a smile, but Atem would take what he could get right now. Kaiba knocked a knee against his, offering a meager form of reassurance.

    He let his forehead fall back to the other's shoulder.

    "Yes. Very sure."

    Suddenly the victory tune burst out of the TV's speakers, announcing Kaiba had reached the map's goal. Atem looked back at the screen.

    "I do have one more question."

    Kaiba groaned and met his eyes at last. "What _now_?"

    Dead serious, Atem replied, "Why did you take the shortest route to get to the goal, you missed half the supplies there."

    Kaiba froze.

    "You're kidding me."

    "No, I'm not, you can't just rush to the goal like that, what if you missed something important?"

    "Then you come back to find it later, I'm not wasting time on it unless it's absolutely crucial to the mission."

    "Wouldn't you arbitrarily waste time looking for it later then, if you just-"

    Kaiba slammed the controller down and stood up. "Okay, enough, I'm going back to bed."

    Atem finally broke out into laughter at that.

    "Oh, come on, Kaiba!" He jumped up and swiftly grabbed his boyfriend around the waist. Leaning back, he managed to take the taller man down with him, landing rather ungracefully sprawled on the pillows.

    "Just keep playing, I promise I'll shut up." He said, voice muffled in the back of Kaiba's shirt. But he swore he could feel Seto lean into his hold slightly.

    "As if you'd manage to stop criticizing my play for even five minutes."

    Seto's tone really didn't match his ridiculous position on Atem's lap.

    "Well maybe if you played any better-"

    Before he could complete that sentence, Kaiba grabbed a nearby pillow and smacked him in the face. Hard.  

    He slipped from the arms trapping him and disappeared back to the bedroom with a " _Goodnight_ , Atem!" thrown over his shoulder.

    Still laughing, Atem set about cleaning up the living room.  
  
\----  
  
    Once he reached the blissful quiet of their bedroom, Kaiba let himself fall on the bed. He inhaled deeply and counted as he let the air escape his lungs again.

    Breathe in.

    Repeat.

    When he'd woken up earlier to find the other's side of the bed cold and empty, his heart stuttered. He remembered staring into the dark of his bedroom, mind completely blank. If he had allowed himself to start thinking, if he considered the possibility that he only dreamt-

    No.

    He was fine.

    Atem wasn't gone. He had heard his voice from the living room and forced his legs into motion to investigate.

    Atem was still here. Alive, real, with him. He didn't leave.

    They're okay.

    He repositioned himself so his back faced the door and pulled the blankets up. If he fell asleep now, he'd still get a few hours of rest. With his eyes closed, he could make out the soft sound of footsteps, followed by glasses clinking and running water coming from the kitchen.

    Little pieces of evidence Atem was there.

    He didn't want to admit he needed those. It would mean admitting how easy it was to doubt his own mind in the dark hours of the night.

    He felt himself dozing off until the footsteps padded closer and the other side of the bed dipped. Atem moved around, trying to be discreet but failing as he slid under the blankets. His head hit the pillow and Kaiba heard another sigh leave those familiar lips.

    Barely a few moments later, Atem shuffled closer and laid his arm across Seto's waist. He barely registered Atem's whispered " _Thank you_ " before he was met with the warm sensation of lips against the nape of his neck.

    He slipped back into sleep.  


 

**Author's Note:**

> When does one even start to use 'Seto' compared to 'Kaiba'. Is it just me or does it sound really weird to use 'Kaiba', his last name, in a more intimate setting? I'd really like to hear other people's thoughts on this tbh...
> 
> (unrelated; now I suddenly miss Japanese arcades, damn...)
> 
> As always, I put quite a few of my headcanons into this thing, so for in-detail questions or random screaming about ygo, my tumblr is [ evexe-n ](http://evexe-n.tumblr.com) ! (●｀･ω･)ゞ


End file.
